Online Sports Betting Sites Rating Guide

Sportsbook Review, the industry's leading online sportsbook watchdog authority, reviewed 1,052 online sports betting sites since 1999. Below is a list of active betting websites ordered by SBR Rating. Players can use the filter on the left-hand side of the sportsbook grid to refine their search for a new bookmaker according to their particular needs: for instance, players can shop by countries accepted, sign-up bonus, bank options, wagering features, and more using the sportsbook rating guide.

What goes into a sportsbook’s rating?

As you search the internet trying to find the best website to place a wager on your favorite sporting event, it quickly becomes clear that there is an abundance of online sportsbooks to choose from, but not all are created equal. Fortunately, Sportsbook Review has done the research for you to let you know which sites are the best. SBR has explored and examined over 200 active sports betting websites and assigned each an overall rating with the best sites ranked A+ and the worst at F. Each sportsbook rating is based upon specific criteria designed to separate the best sports betting sites from the inferior ones, such as how financially stable each site is, how quickly it pays out on bets, how long it has been around, the bonuses the site offers, and more. Below, you can take a closer look at what goes into each rating.

Financial stability
One of the most important factors in determining the quality of a sportsbook is its financial stability. When you win a bet, you want your sports betting sites to be able to make good on that wager. If a company can’t pay out, then it has no business taking your wagers.

Speed of payouts
Likewise, the speed with which online sports betting websites pay out is crucial. If a company has issues paying bettors within their advertised payment window, they don’t belong on the best sportsbooks list. Sportsbook Review regularly conducts polls of the sportsbook forum community, comprised of over 400,000 active members, to see how quickly online sports betting sites are paying out, along with any issues those bettors may encounter with any particular site. As new issues arise, sportsbook ratings are subject to change.

Years online
In order to be listed on SBR’s best sportsbooks grid, a sportsbook has to have been around and operated for at least 7 years without any major problems. That’s not to say that there are no quality betting sites that are less than 7 years old—only that we don’t consider companies around fewer than 7 years to be listed on the safest sportsbook list.

Sportsbook Bonuses offered
In order to set themselves apart from the competition, sportsbooks often offer bonuses to players. Some bonuses are better than others, and SBR uses these bonuses as part of the rating criteria. Some of the most common bonuses include the following:

Sign up/Deposit bonuses: When you first create an account and deposit money, some sites will grant you a deposit bonus, generally a percentage of your initial deposit. To actually be able to withdraw the bonus, though, the sportsbook will set a “rollover” amount, meaning you will need to wager the amount of the deposit and bonus a set number of times. After you have done so, the bonus is released, and you can withdraw it.

Reload bonuses: A reload bonus is similar to a deposit bonus, except that it applies whenever you reload your balance. While most betting sites won’t offer a reload bonus at all, some sites will offer it on specific occasions (such as a big sporting event), and others will offer it as a standard bonus. If a site offers this bonus, it will be significantly smaller than a deposit bonus, with 25% considered a large bonus. Like with a deposit bonus, you will need to wager the amount of the deposit and bonus a certain number of times before the funds are released.

Free bet bonuses: On some sites, your first bet will include a duplicate bet of the same amount at no risk. In other words, if you make a deposit and then a $20 bet, you will have a second $20 bet placed at no extra charge.

Cashback Bonuses: Most sites don’t offer these bonuses, but a few online sports betting sites will give bettors a percentage of their total losses back. This helps to keep customers happy and coming back to the site instead of getting fed up and looking elsewhere.

No deposit bonuses: Very rarely, an online betting website will offer a bonus where the bettor doesn’t need to transfer any funds before playing for real money. These bonuses have very high rollover requirements and are less common on sportsbooks than online casinos.

Cashier options
Highly rated sportsbooks provide users with several different options to fund their accounts. SBR believes that the process of sending and receiving money should be as simple as possible, and the top betting sites demonstrate the same views . Options such as bitcoin, for example, permit players to move money through several different sportsbooks without accruing an expensive fee with each move.

Wagering variety
A good sportsbook will offer more than just a vanilla line. The top sportsbooks preferred by players include exotic wagers, super teasers, dedicated in-play wagers, or proposition bets. They also provide their betting odds feeds on SBROdds, meaning bettors can compare different sportsbooks.

Software and mobile betting platforms
More than half of sports bets are placed using mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. SBR's top rated sportsbooks reflect this, making their websites responsive and available no matter what type of device the bettor is using.

Customer service
Customer service is important regardless of industry. To ensure that the online sports betting sites on the rating guide are the best, SBR is constantly monitoring forums and performing customer feedback surveys. Key customer service factors include the time it takes the site to respond to random questions from users, as well as whether the site offers phone support for either wagering or community service, and whether the site provides help over live chat, which most players reportedly prefer.

How to Choose the Right Sportsbook
If you would like to learn more about any of the betting sites listed in the rating guide, click on the sportsbook’s name in the “Profile” column. The profile page for each sportsbook will provide you with everything you need to know about that sportsbook including a news feed of the book's payment and company history.

So take a few minutes to look closely and figure out which online betting site works best for your needs. No matter who you bet on, the choice you make regarding which site to use can increase your odds of winning by as much as 4%!